Personal computer and scanner for generating conversation utterances to a remote listener in response to a quiet selection

ABSTRACT

A user conducts a telephone conversation without speaking. It does this by moving the participant in the public situation to a quiet mode of communication (e.g., keyboard, buttons, touchscreen). All the other participants are allowed to continue using their usual audible technology (e.g., telephones) over the existing telecommunications infrastructure. The quiet user interface transforms the user&#39;s silent input selections into equivalent audible signals that may be directly transmitted to the other parties in the conversation.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The following co-pending U.S. patent applications are assigned to theassignee of the present application, and their disclosures areincorporated herein by reference:

Ser. No. 09/657,370, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,941,342 filed Sep. 8, 2000 byLester D. Nelson, and originally entitled, “A METHOD FOR GENERATINGCONVERSATION UTTERANCES TO A REMOTE LISTENER IN RESPONSE TO A QUIETSELECTION CALL.”

Ser. No. 09/658,673, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,823,184 filed Sep. 8, 2000 byLester D. Nelson, and originally entitled, “A PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANTFOR GENERATING CONVERSATION UTTERANCES TO A REMOTE LISTENER IN RESPONSETO A QUIET SELECTION.”

Ser. No. 09/658,612 filed Sep. 8, 2000 by Lester D. Nelson and Sara Bly,and originally entitled, “A TELEPHONE ACCESSORY FOR GENERATINGCONVERSATION UTTERANCES TO A REMOTE LISTENER IN RESPONSE TO A QUIETSELECTION.”

Ser. No. 09/658,245 filed Sep. 8, 2000 by Lester D. Nelson, Daniel C.Swinehart, and Tomas Sokoler, and originally entitled, “ATELECOMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE FOR GENERATING CONVERSATION UTTERANCESTO A REMOTE LISTENER IN RESPONSE TO A QUIET SELECTION.”

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to telecommunications.

BACKGROUND

A mobile telephone creates more opportunities for people to talk witheach other, especially while in public places.

This expanded ability to converse has some negative aspects broughtabout by talk being an easy-to-use, expressive, and also noisy activity.

There are several ways that people attempt to deal with the situation ofhaving private conversations while in a public place. First, individualsmay be noisy in their conversation. This approach requires judgmentabout when privacy is not an overriding concern or when talk would beconsidered acceptable or too important to miss in a given situation.

Second, an individual may talk quietly. It is not uncommon to see atelephone user in a corner of the room in an attempt to shield aconversation. This is often inconvenient for the telephone users on bothends and again requires judgment to determine when this approach isworking adequately.

Third, the individual may move the conversation elsewhere. It is notuncommon to see people leaving the room with a mobile telephone in hand.However, the movement itself is distracting, particularly when thetelephone user's attention is focused on the conversation and not themotion (e.g. banging doors). The movement is also often accompanied bysnatches of conversation (e.g. “Hello! how are you?”, “Just a second”).

Fourth, an individual may use an inaudible technology. Switching theconversation to a different modality, such as two-way text pager, isquiet. However, all parties to the conversation must be willing and ableto switch to new modality.

Fifth, the individual may not take the call. Voicemail is a traditionalway of dealing with calls when one is engaged. However, some telephonecalls must be answered.

Sixth, in addition to the problems of privacy and disruption, recentobservations of public uses of mobile telephones have revealed otherdisadvantages of mobile communications. Users may need to quickly, butinformatively and politely, disengage from a conversation when theirattention must immediately be elsewhere (e.g. listening to an importantannouncement, negotiating traffic).

Consequently, there is sometimes a need for the call to either betemporarily paused or fully discontinued appropriately by a very simpleinteraction.

Therefore, there is a desire to provide a system and method forconducting a telephone conversation in a public place without theabove-identified disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention allows people to converse easily, expressively,and quietly while using mobile telecommunication devices in public.

A personal computer for providing a conversation utterance to a remotelistener is provided. The personal computer comprises an input forreceiving audio. A display provides a conversation representation. Amemory stores the conversation representation and an associatedconversation element. The conversation element has an internalrepresentation of an audible utterance. A processor is coupled to theaudio input, display and memory and provides a control signal. An audiooutput provides the audible utterance responsive to the control signaland the conversation element.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an impedancematching circuit is coupled to the audio output. In an alternateembodiment of the present invention, a telephone is coupled to theimpedance matching circuit.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, thepersonal computer further comprises an audio generator coupled to theprocessor and audio output. The audio generator provides the audibleutterance.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, thepersonal computer includes a graphic user interface (“GUI”) having theconversation representation.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, theconversation representation is selected from a group consisting of anicon, a symbol, a figure, a graph, a checkbox, a GUI widget and agraphic button. In an embodiment, the conversation representation isselected from a group consisting of a text and a label.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the conversationelement is selected from the group consisting of a phrase, a word, aletter, a number, a symbol, or a sound effect.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, theinternal representation is in the format selected from the groupconsisting of a sound file, a record or playback, a text and a MIDIsequence.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a user alters theconversation representation and/or conversation element.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a user deletes theconversation representation and/or conversation element.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a user adds theconversation representation and/or conversation element.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a user alters theassociation between the conversation representation and the conversationelement.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, a userrecords the conversation element as a digitized audio sequence.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, theconversation representation and the conversation element are downloadedand/or uploaded from or to a host computer.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the controlsignal is generated in response to a user selecting the conversationrepresentation.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, anearpiece is coupled to the audio output for listening by a user.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a personalcomputer for providing an audible utterance to a remote listener isprovided. The personal computer comprises an input for receiving audioand a device for providing a conversation representation. A memorystores a conversation element associated with a conversationrepresentation. The conversation element has an internal representationof an audible utterance. A processor is coupled to the audio input, thedevice and the memory. The processor generates a control signal responseto a device signal. An audio output coupled to the processor and thememory provides the utterance responsive to the control signal and theconversation element.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the conversationrepresentation is selected from a group consisting of a button, aswitch, a barcode, a label, a glyph and Braille.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, a systemfor having a quiet telephone call conversation is provided. This systemincludes a processing device for storing an internal representation of aconversation element. A scanning device is coupled to the processingdevice. A scanning device reads a code in association with theconversation element and the processing device provides an audibleutterance in response to reading the code and the conversation element.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the code is abarcode on a printed card.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the scanning device is abarcode scanner.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, the scanningdevice is a laser scanner and/or a digital camera.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a Quiet Call systemaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a Quiet Call personal computer (“PC”) according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a simplified block diagram of conducting aconversation with Quiet Call system according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a simplified block diagram for preparing Quiet Callconversation structures according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 is an impedance matching circuit schematic according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a Quiet Call flowchart according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a Quiet Call graphical user interface (“GUI”)according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a Quiet Call personal digital assistant (“PDA”)according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a mobile telephone displaying a Quiet Call GUIaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 10–11 illustrates a Quiet Call processing device and scanneraccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates a paper having bar codes as conversationrepresentations used in a Quiet Call processing device and scanneraccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 illustrates a Quiet Call telephone accessory device according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 illustrates a Quiet Call telecommunications infrastructureaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 illustrates a Quiet Call state diagram according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 16 a–b illustrates a Quiet Call in-band telecommunicationinfrastructure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 illustrates a Quiet Call out-of-band telecommunicationinfrastructure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 18 a–e illustrate a VoIP telecommunication infrastructureaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

I. Overview

The method and system described herein (generally known as “Quiet Call”or “Quiet Call technology”) moves a participant in a public situation toa quiet mode of communication (e.g., keyboard, buttons, touchscreen).All the other participants are allowed to continue using their audibletechnology (e.g., the telephone) over the normal telecommunicationsinfrastructure. Embodiments of the present invention transforms theuser's silent input selections into equivalent audible signals that maybe directly transmitted to the other parties in the conversation (e.g.,audio signal fed directly into a mobile telephone's microphone jack).

An embodiment of a Quiet Call system is illustrated in FIG. 1. System 10includes a talking area 11 with an individual 16 and a quiet area orpublic area 15 with an individual 17. Individual 16 attempts tocommunicate with individual 17 over telecommunication infrastructure 12.Specifically, individual 16 uses a telephone 18 to dial a telephone 13of individual 17. Quiet Call technology 14 allows for individual 17 tohave an audible conversation with individual 16 in a quiet mode whilenot disturbing the interaction in quiet area 15.

A. Advantages

The present embodiments of the invention have at least the followingadvantages for both placing and receiving telephone calls. First, theconversation is quiet for a user in a quiet area. Non-audible inputoperations (pressing a key or button, touching a display) are translatedinto appropriate audio conversation signals.)

Second, the conversation is conducted audibly for other users in talkingareas. Only the participants in public situations need select analternate communication. Other users participate as in any othertelephone call.

Third, the conversation permitted is expressive. Expressiverepresentations for different kinds of conversations may be defined(e.g., lists of phrases suitable for greetings and answering basicquestions—“yes,” “no,” “maybe,” etc). Conversation structures may bepredefined, recorded as needed, or synthetically generated on demand(e.g., text-to-speech).

Fourth, the communication interface is easy to use when a user isengaged in other activities. The interface includes conversationrepresentations so that they may be easy to recognize (e.g., icon, textlabel) and invoke (e.g., point and click). One input selection (e.g.,button press) may invoke a possibly complex sequence of responsessupporting the dialogue (e.g., putting a person politely on hold orpolitely terminating the conversation).

Fifth, the communication interface is situation-appropriate. Theinterface is designed to fit unobtrusively into different public orquiet situations (e.g., a pen interface for meetings where note-takingis common). Telephone users often talk on the telephone and usepen/paper simultaneously (e.g., making notes in a day planner beforehanging up, making use of lounge areas for printed materials and laptopduring a conversation). The calling interface is designed to work withconversations intermixed with note-taking and reference activities.

Sixth, embodiments of the present invention operate within an existingcommunication infrastructure. An embodiment uses available resourcesthat an individual is likely to have (e.g., PC, PDA, data-capablecellular telephone) and/or adding low-cost components to assist in theconversation transformations. The interface may be implemented on a widevariety of hardware that are interchangeable during or between calls andinteroperable with each other over an existing communications channel(e.g., several participants in a conference call may have a differentquiet-mode solutions).

A wide variety of private conversations may be supported in thefollowing kinds of public, noisy or quiet situations, including aconference/trade show floor, general meetings (e.g., plenary sessions,keynotes), ‘in line’ situations (e.g., ticketing, registration, baggageclaim), informational meetings (e.g., sales pitch, technical overview),large transit (e.g., bus, train, plane), lobby/waiting area, meetingswhere note-taking is required (e.g. technical session, productdescription), parking lot, personal transit (e.g., taxi, car pool,shuttle), restaurant, store (e.g., doorway, changing room, aisles),street, and the theater.

B. Communication Scenarios

A wide variety of communication scenarios are supported, including butnot limited to the following. First, one can have general conversation,including simple question and answer, arranging for call back, andreceiving information while in public.

Second, it is possible to hold topic-specific conversations, includingquestions and answers on selected, pre-defined topics such as agendas,status, and placing and receiving orders or instructions.

Third, it is possible to utilize call deferral (e.g., I'll-call-you-backor Just-a-second buttons).

Fourth, a Quiet Call embodiment can function as a mobile telephoneanswering machine (i.e., playback of greeting and listen to a recordedmessage from the caller).

Fifth, Quiet Call embodiments can screen calls (i.e., playback ofgreeting and listen to the caller before deciding to engage in theconversation).

Sixth, a Quiet Call embodiment acts as a represented presence, in whichone party acts as an intermediary for people listening in remotely to anevent or meeting. The represented presence is where a Quiet Call is inprogress, but a Quiet Call user leaves a telephone's microphone on (notthe usual mode for Quiet Calls) so the other caller can hear. That waythe Quiet Call user can thus interact with the caller quietly, and in asense could represent that person's interest (e.g., at a meeting) orcould quietly get that person's opinions about the ongoing situation.

Seventh, Quiet Call is an activity reporter, where a button communicatesvia a quiet-mode interaction (e.g., click the ‘Meeting’ button on theQuiet Call interface and the telephone responds with “Hi, I'm . . . in ameeting . . . now. It should be over in about . . . 15 minutes . . . ”).

C. A Quiet Call Conversation Example

Ed, a manager in a large engineering firm, is participating in aday-long quarterly review of the company's ongoing projects. He and anumber of his peers have flown in to participate in a sequence ofpresentations and question/answer sessions.

At the same time, Ed's project is at an important decision pointrequiring comparative analysis of several different approaches. Sue, thetechnical lead on the project, is ‘working the numbers’ with the otherproject members. As the technical discussions proceed, Sue will requireseveral different conversations with Ed to keep him informed of theprogress and get his approval when needed. She knows that she can reachEd through a Quiet Call system.

The first time Sue calls through, Ed has set his telephone for silentalert. Ed is about to raise a question, so he quickly defers theconversation with a single click that vocalizes to Sue “I can't talkright now, I'll call back ASAP.” A Quiet Call system allows Ed and Sueto quickly defer a call without either spending unnecessary time in avoicemail system.

When Ed is available at the next change of speaker, he calls Sue andlets her know by silently issuing an audible command over the phone thathe is still in quiet-mode. He does not want to step out of the room forthe call because that would take too much time. Ed uses his earpiece tohear Sue convey her information. Ed signals his understanding and hangsup. When Ed makes the presentation on his own project, he has the mostcurrent technical information available. A Quiet Call system allows Edto get information in an unobtrusive manner.

Later, the next time Sue calls, she requires a go/no-go decision fromEd. She gives her recommendation and Ed signals his approval. Ed thentypes in quick note that he will be free at 1:30 p.m. for a fulldebriefing. A Quiet Call text-to-speech function voices the message andthey both hang up. A Quiet Call system allows Ed and Sue to exchangeinformation easily and quickly.

Sue does not get a chance to call until 2:15 p.m. When she reaches Ed,he signals that he will be with her in a moment, because he was recentlybriefed on the project currently being presented. Ed detaches histelephone from the Quiet Call system by simply unplugging it, andquietly steps out of the meeting to talk on his mobile telephone asnormal. A Quiet Call system allows Ed to switch conversation modes asneeded while keeping the conversation flow going.

Late in the meeting, a new project is being introduced and Ed realizesthat he and Sue have been working on some issues related to thedecisions a project is making. Ed quickly telephones Sue and enables themicrophone on his Quiet Call system so that Sue can listen in. Sue tellsEd that this new information is only relevant to them if the otherproject has a prototype built. Ed asks about the status of thedevelopment at the next opportunity. A Quiet Call system allows Ed toshare information in an unobtrusive and interactive manner.

As Ed is waiting in the airport at 5:30 p.m. for his shuttle home, hechecks in with Sue. He doesn't want the crowded lobby to know hisbusiness, so he plugs in a Quiet Call system and reviews the day'sevents with Sue. As they are talking, an announcement on the loudspeakerbegins concerning flight delays. Ed quickly pauses the conversation,letting Sue know with one button push that he has been interrupted. AQuiet Call system allows Ed to converse privately and to attend to theevents in his surroundings when necessary.

II. A Quiet Call System

A Quiet Call conversation as described here is an electronicallyassisted discussion (e.g., a telephone call) being held between two ormore parties that has the following attributes:

The conversation is being expressed at least in part vocally (e.g., viatelephone, cellular telephone, Internet telephone, videophone, two-wayradio, intercom, etc.).

One or more parties in the conversation is located in a situation wheretalking is inappropriate, unwanted, or undesirable for whatever reason(e.g., meeting, theater, waiting area, etc.).

Consequently, one or more parties in the discussion uses an alternative,quiet mode of discussion (e.g., keyboard, buttons, touchscreen, etc.) toproduce the audible content of the discussion that is transformed intoan equivalent electronic representation that may be silently transmittedto the other parties in the conversation.

The term Quiet Call technology is used here to signify the communicationmechanism, including hardware and/or software, that allows people toconverse easily, expressively, and quietly while out in the world. Aquiet-mode conversation or quiet call is a conversation conducted usingthis technology.

In an embodiment of the present invention, two Quiet Call modes ofoperation are defined: 1) Conducting a Quiet Call and 2) Preparing for aQuiet Call.

A. Conducting a Quiet Call

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of the components structure in aQuiet Call system embodiment used for conducting a quiet call. In thismode, a user conducts a mobile telephone conversation while at the sametime causing no audible content produced directly by the local user tothe local area because the local user is not audibly speaking. Exampleuses of the Quiet Call system in this mode include silent communicationswhile in a meeting and holding private conversations in publicenvironments.

A user views a conversation representation as illustrated by block 35 inFIG. 3, and makes selections about utterances which are to be voicedover the telephone. In an embodiment, conversation representation 31 maybe icons having text labels as illustrated in FIG. 7. A ConversationElement 33 a associated with conversation representation 31 is stored inan utterance data store 33, that when selected are retrieved andsubmitted to an audio generator 34 to produce the output signals neededfor the telephone connection. An audio-to-phone connector 35 providesthis electrical connection. A telephone-to-user connector 30 allows theuser to hear both the conversation generated by the system and otherusers. In an embodiment, a telephone-to-user connector is an earpiece. Aswitchable (switch 37) audio input 36 allows a user to voice directlyinto a telephone when appropriate. A stored data extractor 32 convertsdata stored in other formats (e.g., PC calendar entries, address books)into a format suitable for audio generation.

The following describes components in a Quiet Call system embodiment.

i. Quiet Call System Components

a. Conversation Representation

A conversation representation 31 of a conversational element 33 a (i.e.,phrases, words, letters, numbers, symbols, sound effects, and sequencesand/or a combination thereof) that a user may invoke for initiatingconversation utterances is displayed to a user. An example of aconversation representation GUI is illustrated in FIG. 7.

A conversation representation 31 may take any form that does not requirea user to vocalize a selection of a conversation element 33 a, includinggraphical (e.g., icons, symbols, figures, graphs, checkboxes, buttons,other GUI widgets, and sequences and/or a combination thereof), textual(e.g., displayed text, labeled input forms, and sequences and/orcombinations of the above), and physical (e.g., buttons, switches,knobs, labels, barcodes, glyphs, braille or other tangiblerepresentation, electronic tags, and sequences and/or a combinationthereof).

A user interacts silently with each conversation representation 31 byinspecting it according to its kind (e.g., visually or tactually) andinvoking it according to its kind (type, point and click, press, eyetracking, scanning, etc.).

A conversation representation 31 may be presented using one or moredisplay surfaces (e.g., computer display, touchscreen, paper, physicaldevice, etc.) or display forms (e.g., pages, frames, screens, etc.).When multiple surfaces or forms are used these may be organized indifferent ways according to user needs (sequentially, hierarchically,graph-based, unordered, etc.). A user selects between different surfacesor forms according to its kind (e.g., GUI selection, physicalmanipulation such as flipping or turning, button press, etc.).

A user may update a conversation element 33 a and an associatedconversation representation 31 in a visible display as follows. First,an individual can add a new conversational element and/or an associatedconversation representation.

Second, an individual can delete a conversational element and/or anassociated conversation representations.

Third, an individual can change the kinds of conversationrepresentations of conversational elements (e.g., text, label, icon).

Fourth, an individual can change a conversation representation of aconversational element according to its kind (e.g., text values, labelvalues, icon images).

Fifth, an individual can change a conversational element associated withone or more conversation representations.

Sixth, an individual can add, delete, or modify the association of aconversational element and its conversation representation.

Seventh, an individual can invoke upload/download for conversationalelements, their display conversation representations, and associatedinternal representation.

Eighth, an individual can invoke record and playback capabilities forselected conversational elements.

b. Utterance Data Store

Each conversational element (i.e., phrases, words, letters, numbers,symbols, sound effects, and sequences and/or combinations of the above)has one or more internal representations suitable for creation ofaudible utterances that may be communicated over a telephone line.Conversational element 33 a stored in utterance data store 33 includes,for example, sound file formats, record and playback formats, text, MIDIsequences, etc. These internal representations may be stored in andretrieved from utterance data store 33. In an embodiment, utterance datastore 33 is readable and writeable computer memory as known in the art.Retrieval may be accessed randomly, sequentially, by query, or throughother such known methods. Data for retrieved conversation elements arepassed to an audio generator 34.

c. Audio Generator

An audio generator 34 transforms the internal representations ofconversational elements into audible formats suitable for transmissionover a telephone connection. In an embodiment, audio generator 34 is atext-to-speech generator, sound card, sound effects generator, playbackdevice, in combination and/or an equivalent.

d. Audio Input

Direct audio connection (e.g., microphone) at the locale of the user maybe optionally invoked by a switching 37 (e.g., pushbutton or otherphysical switch, software switch (e.g., GUI widget), acoustic muffling(e.g., soundproof housing or other insulation), and direct electricalconnection (e.g., plug).

Audio recording into an utterance data store may be made by selectingone or more elements from the conversational representation and invokinga record command.

e. Audio Output

Audio output 41 allows for audio generation from an utterance data store33 by selecting one or more elements from a conversationalrepresentation 31 and invoking a playback command.

f. Audio-to-Phone Connector

A connection is provided between user conversational inputs generatedfrom the switchable audio input 36 or audio generator 34 that deliverssignals appropriate for telephone transmission while causing no audiblecontent produced directly by the local user to the local area. Thisincludes direct electrical connection of signals, electronicallyprocessed signals such as an impedance matching circuit, optical toelectrical conversion such as infrared detection, muffled acousticsignals using a soundproof housing or other insulation.

FIG. 5 illustrates an impedance matching circuit 22. Resistances R₁ andR₂ are selected to match the input and output signals. The Capacitor C₁eliminates some of the signal interference (voltage blanking for DCcomponent).

g. Phone-to-User Connection

Direct audio connection (i.e., earpiece) is provided from a telephone toa user while at the same time causing no audible contact produceddirectly by a local user to the local area. In an embodiment,telephone-to-user connector 30 includes an earpiece or other localizedspeaker system that is connected directly to the telephone or throughsome intermediate electronics (e.g., PC and soundcard).

h. Upload/Download

Data for conversational elements, their display conversationrepresentations, and associated internal representation may be uploadedand downloaded between the Quiet Call system and other systems,including other Quiet Call systems, external memory devices (e.g.,Compact Disc (“CD”), Digital Video Disc (“DVD”), personal digitalassistants), directly connected computers and networked computers (e.g.,local area, wide area, Internet, wireless, etc.). Connection may be madeby serial connection (RS232, IrDA, ethernet, wireless, or otherinterconnections known in the art). Upon invocation of the uploadcommand from a conversation representation 31 and/or utterance datastorage 33, formatted data (e.g., raw byte data, rich text format,Hypertext Markup Language, etc.), are transmitted (e.g., TCP/IP, RS-232serial data, etc.). Upon invocation of the download command, aconversation representation 31 formatted for stored data (conversationalrepresentation format, utterance data storage format), is sent to theappropriate Quiet Call components (conversational representation 31,utterance data storage 33).

i. Stored Data Extractor

Data for conversational elements, their display conversationrepresentations, and associated internal representation may be extractedfrom stored information on a host computer. For example, calendarentries in a Microsoft Outlook format may be dragged from an applicationto a store data extractor 32 form that parses and represents thecalendar data. In this case, an Appointment object is accessed and itsfields interrogated (e.g., Subject, Start, etc.). Text strings areextracted from the fields and a conversational phrase is formatted fromthese fields and phrase template. A template takes the form of somepredefined text with slots for the appropriate data to be inserted:

-   -   “An appointment for <subject> is scheduled to start at <start>”,        where the slots <subject> and <start> are supplied by text from        the Appointment object.        Text-to-speech generation or special-purpose, predefined audio        vocabularies may then be used to vocalize the appointment        information. Other types of extracted data may include address        book entries, database records, spreadsheet cells, email        messages, driving directions, information pointers such as path        names and universal resource locators and all manner of stored,        task-specific information.

B. Preparing for Quiet Call

FIG. 4 illustrates the components in a Quiet Call system embodiment usedfor preparing conversation structure. In this mode the user or someoneacting on behalf of the user prepares for a quiet-mode conversation byadding, deleting, or modifying conversation structures (representations,elements and internal representations) stored within a Quiet Callsystem.

A user views a conversation representation 31 and makes selections aboutupdating the utterances to be voiced over the telephone (e.g., add,modify, delete elements). The utterance data store 33 is updatedappropriately. An upload/download produces the output signals to anaudio output 41 to allow the user to check the stored conversation. Astore data extractor 32 converts data stored in other formats (e.g., PCcalendar entries, address books) into a format suitable for inclusioninto utterance data store 33.

III. Quiet Call Method

In an embodiment, a quiet-mode conversation is conducted according tothe flowchart illustrated in FIG. 6.

As one who is skilled in the art would appreciate, FIG. 6 illustrateslogic boxes for performing specific functions. In alternate embodiments,more or fewer logic boxes may be used. In an embodiment of the presentinvention, a logic box may represent a software program, a softwareobject, a software function, a software subroutine, a software method, asoftware instance, a code fragment, a hardware operation or useroperation, singly or in combination.

In an embodiment of the present invention, quiet call softwareillustrated by FIGS. 6 and 15 is stored in an article of manufacture,such as a computer readable medium. For example, quiet call software maybe stored in a magnetic hard disk, an optical disk, a floppy disk,CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read-Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM(Read-Only Memory), or other readable or writeable data storagetechnologies, singly or in combination.

In an alternate embodiment, Quiet Call software is downloaded usingHypertext Transfer Protocol (“HTTP”) 1 to obtain Java applets.

An incoming call is received by a user as represented by elliptic block60. The user then accepts the call and accesses conversationalrepresentations as illustrated by logic block 61. A determination isthen made by the user whether to continue the call as illustrated bydecision block 62. If the user does not wish to continue a call, thetelephone is hung up as illustrated by logic block 63, and the currentcall is complete as illustrated by elliptic block 65. If the user wishesto continue the call, the user listens and responds by selectingconversation elements from a conversational representation 31 asillustrated by logic block 64. Internal representations of all theconversational elements are obtained from an utterance data store 33 asillustrated by logic block 66.

A decision is made by an individual whether additional utterances willbe selected as illustrated by decision block 67. If no furtherutterances are needed, logic transitions to logic block 68 where theaudio generation of each conversational element is transmitted to thetelephone via the audio-to-phone connector 35. Logic then transitionsback to decision block 67.

The normal telephone call process proceeds as indicated in the flowchart. Exceptional situations in the Quiet Call method may occurasynchronously as follows: 1) Whenever the user wants live audio to beincorporated into the telephone call, the switchable audio input 36 isengaged; 2) The user is able to override the currently playingconversational element by making a new selection from a conversationrepresentation 31; and 3) The user may hang up the telephone at any timeto terminate the conversation.

FIG. 15 illustrates a state transition diagram for a quiet callembodiment of the present invention. In particular, FIG. 15 illustratesa state transition diagram in which a mechanical device 157 having leftbutton 157 a, center button 157 b and right button 157 c are used totransition into the various states. Buttons 157 a–c are conversationrepresentations for conversation elements. The buttons may representdifferent conversation representations at different states. In anembodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 illustrates a statetransition diagram of quiet call software.

In the illustrated embodiment, five states are present: a wait-for-ringstate 151, a wait-to-answer state 152, a move-to-talk state 153, alisten-to-caller state 154, a sign off state 155, and an any state 156.A user can transition to the various states by pressing buttons 157 a–c.As the various states are transitioned, audible messages to a user maybegenerated.

For example, a transition from the wait-for-ring state 151 to thewait-to-answer state 152 is accomplished on the occurrence of anincoming call event. A user then has three options: the user may saynothing by pressing button 157 a; the user may generate “Hello, pleaseleave a message” utterance by pressing button 157 b; or, finally, theuser may generate a “Hello, I'll be right with you” utterance which isheard only by the caller by selecting right button 157 c.

As can be seen by FIG. 15, embodiments of the present invention allow auser to conduct a conversation while causing no audible content to thelocal area.

IV. Quiet Call Embodiments

In a quiet mode conversation, all sides of the conversation use anelectronic device, such as a mobile telephone. The device may be a wiredor a wireless device. But the person in the ‘unequal’ public situation(i.e., having to be quiet) would have a special interface for respondingto the conversation. Five different embodiments are described below: (1)a PC, (2) a PDA, (3) a scanner and paper interface, (4) a telephoneaccessory device having a physical button interface, and (5) atelecommunications infrastructure having Quiet Call capability. Otherembodiments may include using an intercom, CB radio, two-way radio,shortwave radio, or other radio transmitter such as FM or Bluetooth,etc.

A. PC Embodiment

A PC system embodiment for making Quiet Calls uses a personal computeras a private ‘conversation appliance.’

In a PC embodiment, a GUI template having a conversation representationis stored in the PC. A user, such as individual 17, points and clicks,and the computer ‘talks’ silently into the telephone through an audioconnection.

This is accomplished by storing the pre-recorded conversational phrasesof interest in a format suitable for display and selection by the user.FIG. 7 shows a GUI representation that contains conversationalrepresentations having internal representations expressed in the user'sown voice. For example, a collection of Hello 70 icons are representedas icons 70 a–d. A user may pre-record an intro 70 a such as: “This isLes. I can hear you, but I am in a quiet area so I can only answerthrough my computer.” Other types of icons and associated text may alsobe used. For example, control 71 icons may include icons 71 a–f.Etiquette 71 icons may include icons 72 a–b. For example, icon 72 a maybe an audible expressive “please” in the user's voice. Answer icon 73includes icons 73 a–d, and “Good-bye” icon 74 includes icons 74 a–c.

In an embodiment, Microsoft PowerPoint is used to form conversationrepresentations and conversation elements: (1) a graphical structure, asillustrated by FIG. 7, whose nodes contain audio clips (WAV format); and(2) a text-to-speech generator (derived from an Active X componentcontaining Microsoft Agent speech functionality). Microsoft Agentsoftware includes text-to-speech functionality. Using standard Microsoftinterface definitions (e.g. Active X component), Microsoft Agenttext-to-speech functionality is embedded into a PowerPoint slide and isused as a Quiet Call GUI providing text-to-speech functionality forQuiet calls.

Conversational templates may be shared (e.g., as Web pages, sharedfiles, e-mail messages) between a group of frequent user's (e.g.,uploaded/downloaded). Individuals pick and choose the type ofconversation in which they wish to engage and each works through ashared template using the Quiet Call interfaces.

FIG. 2 illustrates a Quiet Call PC system embodiment. System 20 includesa PC 21 having sound card which is connected to the input jack of amobile telephone input. With the mobile telephone jack thus engaged, noaudible content is produced directly by the local user to the localarea. The user has an earpiece which allows the telephone conversationand the audio generated by the PC to be heard together.

In an embodiment, personal computer 21 includes conversationrepresentation 31, utterance data store 33, audio generator 34,upload/download 40 and audio output 41 as described above. In anembodiment of the present invention, conversation representation 31 is apower point slide show. Likewise, in an embodiment of the presentinvention, utterance data store 33 is a power point representation.Similarly, audio generator 34 and upload/download 40 is a PC sound cardand power point file transfer software, respectively.

Audio output 36 is switchable between the PC speaker jack and the PCspeaker. The PC speaker is disengaged while the speaker jack is in use.The PC speaker jack is coupled to an audio-to-phone connector 35. Thegenerated conversation may be made audible in the user locale (e.g., aspart of the preparation process) by removing the plug from the PCspeaker jack. In an embodiment of the present invention, theaudio-to-phone connector 22 is an impedance matching circuit asillustrated in FIG. 5. An impedance matching circuit permits the PCaudio signals to be directed into the mobile telephone. In anembodiment, R₁=10K ohms, R₂=460 ohms, and C₁=0.1 microfarads. Theaudio-to-phone connector 35 is then coupled to a mobile telephone 23audio input.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the mobile telephone 23 is aQualComm pdQ Smartphone with hands-free headset in which we replace themicrophone with a direct connection to the audio-to-phone connector 22.

B. PDA Embodiment

In a PDA embodiment, a GUI conversation representation is stored on PDA80 and displayed on a PDA screen. The user taps the conversation buttonsand the PDA ‘talks’ silently into the telephone through an audioconnection.

A PDA embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 8 and includes PDA 80 and PDAinterface 81. PDA interface 81 is coupled to a controller 82. Audiooutput of controller 82 is then coupled to audio-to-phone connector 83.Examples of specific structure of the various components of the PDAembodiment are described below.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a PDA embodiment (e.g., Qualcomm pdQ Smartphonehaving hands-free headset). PDA 80 uses a GUI as seen in FIG. 7 whosenodes indicate audio clips. For example, indicators may be sequencenumbers or addresses for digitally stored signal data (e.g.WAV-formatted data stored in a Quadravox 305 Playback Module).

In an embodiment, a controller 82 (e.g., Quadravox QV305) stores audioclips that may be accessed randomly or sequentially. In an embodiment,controller 82 is a Quadravox QV305 RS232 playback controller. Inalternate embodiments, controller 82 communicates by a wired/wirelessUniversal Serial Bus (“USB”), IrDA connection, parallel port, ethernet,local area network, fiber wireless device connection (e.g. Bluetooth),in combination or singly. A PDA embodiment also includes upload/download40 such as QVPro software supplied by Quadravox, Inc. Controller 82 isconnected to a telephone input through an impedance matching circuit asillustrated in FIG. 5 that permits the PDA audio signals to be directedinto the telephone. In an embodiment R₁=10K ohms, R₂=460 ohms, andC₁=0.1 microfarads. PDA 80 is coupled to controller 82 through an RS232serial port. The audio clip number indicated by selection on the PDAinterface is communicated to controller 82 through the PDA serial port.The generated conversations are audible both in the hands-free earpieceand through the telephone line, but no outside content is produceddirectly by the local user to the local area.

In an embodiment, conversation structure consisting of a spatially groupcollection of PDA software buttons 91 is shown in FIG. 9. Arepresentative sample of conversation representation is shown,including: greetings (e.g., hello, goodbye); conversational flow control(e.g., wait, continue); and common answers to questions (e.g., yes, no).

C. Paper User Interface Embodiment

In a paper user interface embodiment, conversation representation isprinted on paper (e.g., notebook or cards) as illustrated in FIGS. 10,11 and 12. A user scans (e.g., barcode or glyph reader) the conversationelements associated with the conversation representation (e.g. codes)and the computer ‘talks’ silently into the telephone through an audioconnection.

FIG. 11 illustrates a paper user interface Quiet Call embodiment. Thepaper user interface embodiment includes PDA 110 and controller 111. Inan embodiment, controller 111 is used as an utterance data store 33,audio generator 34 and audio output 41. In an embodiment, controller 111is a Quadravox QV305 RS232 playback controller. A paper user interfaceembodiment also includes upload/download 40 such as QVPro softwaresupplied by Quadravox, Inc. Controller 111 is coupled to audio-to-phoneconnector 112. In an embodiment, audio-to-phone connector 112 is animpedance matching circuit as illustrated by FIG. 5. Scanner 113 is alsocoupled to controller 111. Scanner 113 is used to read paper interface114, including codes 115.

FIG. 12 also illustrates another embodiment of a paper interface. Paperinterface 120 includes codes 121 (or conversation elements) forconversation representations such as “Hello.”

In FIG. 11, a scanner 113 such (such as a Symbol SPT-1500 barcodescanner) is used to read conversational elements. In an embodiment, ascanner 113 is coupled to controller 111 through an RS232 port. Eachcode indicates an audio clip (WAV format) associated with theconversation representation.

A controller 111 (e.g., Quadravox QV305 RS232 Playback Controller)stores audio clips that may be accessed randomly or sequentially.Controller 111 is connected to a telephone input through an impedancematching circuit 112 which permits the audio signals to be directed intothe telephone. In an embodiment, R₁=10K ohms, R₂=460 ohms, and C₁=0.1microfarads. The audio clip number indicated by selection on the PDAinterface is communicated to controller 111 through a PDA RS232 serialport. The generated conversations are audible both in the hands-freeearpiece and through the telephone line, but not in the general localeof the user.

D. Telephone Accessory Embodiment

In a telephone accessory embodiment, physical interfaces such as labeledbuttons are conversation representations. A device is attached to atelephone as a telephone accessory or may be incorporated into thedesign of a telephone mechanism itself. A user pushes a conversationbutton and the computer ‘talks’ silently into the telephone through anaudio connection.

FIG. 13 illustrates a telephone accessory embodiment of the presentinvention. The telephone accessory embodiment includes mobile telephone130 coupled to device 131 which is coupled to audio-to-phone connector132. Device 131 is a physical interface having labeled or marked buttonsas respective conversation representations.

In a telephone accessory embodiment, the mobile telephone 130 is aQualcomm PDQ Smartphone having a hands-free headset. In a telephoneaccessory embodiment, device 131 is an electronic record and playbackdevice. In an embodiment, audio-to-phone connector 132 is an impedancematching circuit as illustrated by FIG. 5.

In an embodiment, one or more single-channel audio record and playbackchips (e.g., Radio shack™ Recording Keychain) stores the audio that maybe accessed through the labeled control buttons. The chips are connectedto the telephone input through audio-to-phone connector 132 whichpermits the audio signals to be directed into the telephone. In anembodiment, audio-to-phone connector 132 is an impedance matchingcircuit as illustrated in FIG. 5 having R₁=10K ohms, R₂=460 ohms, andC₁=0.1 microfarads. The generated conversations are audible both in thehands-free earpiece and through the telephone line, but not in thegeneral locale of the user.

A one-chip version can hold a single greeting or multiple greetings thatmay be used to defer the conversation until the user moves to an areawhere full-voice conversation may resume. Other chips may be added foralternative greetings (e.g., mobile call screening) or limited responses(e.g., yes, no, etc.).

In an alternate embodiment, a talking object is provided. For example, acredit card having Quiet Call technology (e.g. by using the describedchip arrangement) generates an audible utterance (e.g. an accountnumber) quietly. Hence, private information will not be overheard whenbeing used to confirm reservations or other purposes.

E. Telecommunications Infrastructure Embodiment

As described above, a voice call is conducted where at least one of thetelephones has a non-verbal interface (e.g., buttons or touchscreen).The non-verbal interface is used to select and play voice utterances(recorded or synthetic) over the telephone connection. There are anumber of places where audio production maybe introduced in the call'svoice path as illustrated by FIG. 14. In an embodiment, receiving caller142 is a mobile telephone user who needs to take important calls, but isnot always in a situation where conversation is appropriate (e.g.,meetings, public transportation, waiting areas).

FIG. 14 illustrates a telecommunications infrastructure 140 having QuietCall technology. Telecommunications infrastructure 140 includes atelephone 143 used by initiating caller 141. Telephone 143 accessestelecom service provider 146. Telephone 143 optionally accessestelephony server 145 that is coupled to telecom service provider 146. Inan embodiment, telecom service provider 146 accesses telecom serviceprovider 147, which controls telephony server 148. Telephony server 148then provides services to mobile telephone 144. Software and/ormechanical devices anywhere along the telecommunications infrastructure140 may be used to implement embodiments of the Quiet Call technology.For example, Quiet Call software may be implemented at telecom serviceprovider 147. The user then may initiate utterances by selecting buttonson mobile telephone 144.

In alternate embodiments, Quiet Call software and/or structures asdescribed above may be positioned at other sections along thetelecommunications infrastructure 140, such as in telephone 144 and/or143.

i. In-band and Out-of-Band Utterance Selection

There are at least two Quiet Call telecommunication infrastructureembodiments: 1) control signals for utterance selections made by acaller are mixed with the voice audio (i.e., in-band communication suchas touch tones) or 2) control signals use a communication channeldifferent from the voice signal (i.e., out-of-band). In both embodimentsa server application capable of generating Quiet Call utterances hasaccess to a telecommunications infrastructure and can manipulate thecontest of the voice path of a call (e.g., a telephone server of aservice provider) as illustrated in FIG. 14.

a. In-band Selection for Adding Voice Audio

FIGS. 16 a–b illustrate in-band telecommunication infrastructureembodiments and a Quiet Call server.

If a telephone supports a text display, a set of possible utterances isdisplayed on a telephone. The text is either configured with thetelephone, obtained previously from a telecommunication provider (e.g.,downloaded in a previous voice or data call), obtained or customizedduring a current call. Communication could be through telephoneinformation fields such as caller ID or through in-band signaling suchas Dual-Tone Multi Frequency (“DTMF”), for touch tone signaling, faxtones, or a custom signaling technique that is in some way more audiblyappealing (e.g., rhythmic or musical sequences).

If a telephone supports dedicated selection keys, these may be used tonavigate the conversation element selections. When one of the options isselected, a message with the encoded selection is sent back to theprovider with in-band signaling. The selection message is used to accessthe corresponding conversation element.

If the telephone does not support selection keys, the standard numericpad may be used for the selection (e.g., *, 1, 2, etc.). The associatedDTMF signal might be suppressed from the other party by carrier orprovider specific mechanisms or by briefly putting the initiating calleron hold while the DTMF is being processed. Alternatively, the telephonecould support alternative tone generation that is not so audiblydisturbing (e.g., other frequency or rhythmic patterns.)

In an embodiment, a receiving caller's telephone 162 would have thequiet call technology to access a Quiet Call server 160 and Quiet CallSystems 160 a as illustrated in FIG. 16 b.

In an alternative embodiment, an initiating caller's telephone 160 wouldhave the quiet call technology to access a Quiet Call server 160 andQuiet Call Systems 160 a as illustrated in FIG. 16 b.

In an alternative embodiment, a third party provider is brought into thecall (most likely by the receiving caller) as illustrated in FIG. 16 a.In this case, a conference call would be established to accept areceiving caller conversation element selection signals (most likely asDTMF or other audible pattern) and translate them into correspondingaudible utterances.

The following describes various in-band telecommunication infrastructureembodiments. First, a proxy answer at a Quiet Call server embodiment maybe used. A call to a mobile telephone is actually first placed through aservice number. This may be made transparent to initiating caller 161 byproviding the service number as the point of contact. A Quiet Callserver 160 (e.g., telephony program or service provider function)answers the incoming call and dials a receiving caller's mobiletelephone 162. Receiving caller 162 answers mobile telephone 162 andcompletes a connection to the initiating caller 161. The receivingtelephone 162, then quickly makes a connection to Quiet Call server 160(e.g., through a conference call or as a relay with the serverapplication acting as an intermediary, as shown in FIGS. 16 a–b).Receiving caller 162 makes Quiet Call input selections that are signaledto Quiet Call server 160 for decoding and translation to the appropriateaudible utterance. The in-band signaling may itself be audible toinitiating caller 161 (e.g., as in a continuous three-way conferencecall connection shown in FIG. 161) or may be screened from initiatingcaller 161 (e.g., as in a relay connection or shown in FIG. 16 b or byquickly putting the initiating caller 161 momentarily on hold duringcontrol signal progressing.

Second, a third party add-in from mobile handset may be used in anembodiment. A call is first placed directly to receiving caller's mobiletelephone 162. Receiving caller answers mobile telephone 162 and aconnection is made with initiating caller 161. The telephone quicklymakes a connection with a quiet call server 160 (e.g., by dialing in aconference call or relay connection or by accessing a persistentconference call or relay connection). In-band signaling and utterancegeneration then proceeds in a manner similar to that described above.

In-band signaling has the advantage that only one communication channelis required for both voice and data communication and it can workwithout modification of the telecommunications infrastructure (e.g.,DTMF support is already in the system). Under certain circumstances, anaudible signaling might be helpful in giving some initiating callersaudible cues about the receiving callers situation. The disadvantagesare in requiring most initiating callers to either put up with theaudible control signals they do not want to hear (e.g., by ignoring ordisguising them) or hide them from the initiating caller (e.g., puttingthe initiating caller on hold during control signal processing). In-bandsignaling is also limited to how much and how quickly control data canbe communicated through the audible channel.

b. Out-of-band Selection for Adding Voice Audio

A selected conversation element may be communicated to a Quiet Callserver through some means other than a voice channel of the telephonecall. FIG. 17 illustrates an out-of-band telecommunicationinfrastructure embodiment 170. As with in-band signaling, a call may beplaced through a service number (proxy answer approach described above)or directly to the receiving caller's mobile telephone (third-partyadd-in). A Quiet Call server is either connected to the voice callthrough a conference call or relay configuration.

The following describes out-of-band control embodiments.

First, a related voice and data connections embodiment may be used.Telecommunication systems (such as Integrated Services Digital Network,(“ISDN”) carry voice and data on separate channels. For example, insteadof the telecommunication provider sending a ring voltage signal to ringa bell in your telephone (in-band signal), the provider sends a digitalpacket on a separate channel (out-of-band signal). A call is processedby a telecommunications service provider by establishing a voice channeland a related control data stream. Control information is sent to aQuiet Call server independently from a voice communication using aalternate data channel. A Quiet Call server, being in connection withthe voice path, introduces the appropriate utterances as describedabove.

Second, a digital communication, such as Code Division Multiple Access(“CMDA”) and Voice-over-IP (“VoIP”), encode voice and data as bits andallow for simultaneous communication by interleaving the packets on thedigital channel.

Third, a separate data connection embodiment may be used. In anembodiment, a handset is set up with a separate data connection or asecond device (e.g., wirelessly connected PDA) to communicate controlinformation between a receiving caller and Quiet Call server.

Fourth, an additional telephone connection embodiment maybe used. Ahandset is set up with a multiple telephone capability or severaltelephones could be used. One call would communicate control informationbetween a receiving caller and Quiet Call server 171. The othertelephone 173 would have a connection between all parties (initiatingcaller, receiving caller, and server application).

Fifth, when using a channel supporting simultaneous mixed digital voiceand data (e.g., VoIP combined with an IP-enabled phone acting as theQuiet Call Phone), synthetic or pre-recorded conversation elements maybe stored as simple data packets on a telephone handset. For a receivingcaller to obtain an audio utterance, prerecorded data sets are injectedinto a initiating caller's digital data stream.

Out-of-band signaling has the advantage that the control signals do nothave to be hidden (e.g., through temporarily holding the initiatingcaller), disguised (e.g., as rhythmic patterns), or endured (e.g., touchtones). The disadvantage is that several communication channels requiremanagement, except in the case of intermixed voice and data packetcommunication (e.g., VoIP).

ii. VoIP Telecommunication Infrastructure

VoIP is the ability to make telephone calls and send faxes over IP-baseddata networks with a suitable quality of service (QoS) and superiorcost/benefit. see http://www.protocols.com/papers/voip.htm andhttp://www.techquide.com. Voice data is encoded into data packets andsent using Internet Protocol.

Net2phone's (http://www.net2phone.com) Parity software(http://www.paritysw.com/products/spt_ip.htm) “PC with Voice Software”provides a VoIP telephony development Application Program Interface(“API”) according to an embodiment of the invention.

In a VoIP embodiment, information is transferred by way of the internet,telephone switches and/or local networks. FIGS. 18 a–18 e illustratevarious telecommunication infrastructure embodiments using VoIPfunctionality. The infrastructure embodiments differ in where the QuietCall voice utterances are stored/generated and in whether the phonesused in Quiet Calls dialogue are IP-enabled. Table A shows 5 differentconfigurations related to the various infrastructures embodimentsillustrated in FIGS. 18 a–18 e.

TABLE A Voice Utterances Quiet Phone Other Phone stored/generated onFigure illustrating the IP-enabled IP-enabled the Quiet Phonetelecommunication (yes/no) (yes/no) (yes/no) infrastructure No No NoFIG. 18a Yes No No FIG. 18b Yes Yes No FIG. 18c Yes Yes Yes FIG. 18d YesNo Yes FIG. 18e

In FIG. 18 a a non-IP-enabled telephone 180 capable of issuing DTMFsignals acts as a Quiet Phone and controls the playback/generation ofvoice utterances from a Quiet Phone server 181 via a VoIP gateway 182.The DTMF control signals are detected by VoIP gateway 182 and routed tothe Quiet phone server 181 as IP data packets with the appropriate QuietCall control codes. The Quiet Phone server 181 receives the IP datapackets with the Quiet Call control codes and responds by sending thestored/generated Quiet Call voice utterances as IP data packets to (a)VoIP gateway 183 communicating with the Other phone 184 and (b) VoIPgateway 182 communicating with Quiet phone 180. Voice from Other phone184 goes to VoIP gateway 183 and is routed to the Quiet phone as IP datapackets to the VoIP gateway 182 communicating with Quiet phone 180.

In FIG. 18 a, any telephone capable of generating DTMF signals can beturned into a Quiet Phone by simply subscribing to the Quiet Phoneservice residing on Quiet Phone server 181.

In FIG. 18 b, an IP-enabled telephone 190 acts as the Quiet Phone andcontrols the playback/generation of voice utterances from the QuietPhone server 191 by sending Quiet Call control codes as IP data packetsto the Quiet Phone server 191. The Quiet Phone server 191 receives theIP data packets with the Quiet Call control codes and responds bysending the stored/generated Quiet Call voice utterances as IP datapackets to (a) VoIP gateway 193 communicating with the Other phone 194and (b) the IP-enabled Quiet phone 190. Voice from the Other phone 194goes to the VoIP gateway 193 and is routed to the Quiet phone 190 as IPdata packets.

In FIG. 18 c, an IP-enabled telephone acts as a Quiet phone 200 andcontrols the playback/generation of voice utterances from a Quiet Phoneserver 201 by sending Quiet Call control codes as IP data packets to theQuiet Phone server 201. The Quiet Phone server 201 receives the IP datapackets with the Quiet Call control codes and responds by sending thestored/generated Quiet Call voice utterances as IP data packets to (a)the IP-enabled Other phone 204 and (b) the IP-enabled Quiet phone 200.Voice from the Other phone 204 is routed to the Quiet phone 200 as IPdata packets.

In FIG. 18 d, an IP-enabled telephone acts as the Quiet phone 210 andsends stored/generated Quiet Call voice utterances as IP data packets tothe IP-enabled Other phone 214. Voice from the Other phone 214 is routedto the Quiet phone 210 as IP data packets.

In FIG. 18 e, an IP-enabled telephone acts as the Quiet phone 220 andsends stored/generated Quiet Call voice utterances as IP data packets toVoIP gateway 221 communicating with the Other phone 224. Voice from theOther phone 224 goes to the VoIP gateway 221 and is routed to the Quietphone 220 as IP data packets.

iii. Wireless Telephony Applications and Interfaces

In an embodiment, Wireless Telephony Applications Framework (“WTA”)within a Wireless Application Protocol (“WAP”) is used for a Quiet Callembodiment. For example, Quiet Call software is stored on a WTA serveraccessed from a microbrowser stored on a mobile telephone.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the presentinvention has been provided for the purposes of illustration anddescription. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously, many modificationsand variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. Theembodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and its practical applications, therebyenabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments and with the various modifications as are suited tothe particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of theinvention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

1. A personal computer, comprising: (a) an input for receiving audio;(b) a display for providing a conversation representation; (c) a memoryfor storing the conversation representation and an associatedconversation element, wherein the conversation element has an internalrepresentation of an audible utterance; (d) a processor, coupled to theaudio input, display and memory, for providing a control signal; and,(e) an audio output, coupled to the processor and memory, for providingthe audible utterance responsive to the control signal and theconversation element.
 2. The personal computer of claim 1, wherein animpedance matching circuit is coupled to the audio output.
 3. Thepersonal computer of claim 2, wherein a telephone is coupled to theimpedance matching circuit.
 4. The personal computer of claim 1, whereinthe personal computer further comprises: (f) an audio generator, coupledto the processor and audio output, for generating the audible utterance.5. The personal computer of claim 1, wherein the conversationrepresentation is in a graphic user interface (GUI).
 6. The personalcomputer of claim 1, wherein the conversation representation is selectedfrom the group consisting of an icon, a symbol, a figure, a graph, acheckbox, a GUI widget and a graphic button.
 7. The personal computer ofclaim 1, wherein the conversation representation is selected from thegroup consisting of a text and a label.
 8. The personal computer ofclaim 1, wherein the conversation element is selected from the groupconsisting of a phrase, a word, a letter, a number, a symbol, and asound effect.
 9. The personal computer of claim 1, wherein the internalrepresentation is in a format selected from the group consisting of asound file, a record or playback, a text and a Musical InstrumentDigital Interface (“MIDI”) sequence.
 10. The personal computer of claim1, wherein a user alters the conversation representation.
 11. Thepersonal computer of claim 1, wherein a user alters the conversationelement.
 12. The personal computer of claim 1, wherein a user deletesthe conversation representation.
 13. The personal computer of claim 1,wherein a user deletes the conversation element.
 14. The personalcomputer of claim 1, wherein a user adds the conversation element. 15.The personal computer of claim 1, wherein a user adds the conversationrepresentation.
 16. The personal computer of claim 1, wherein a useralters the association between the conversation representation and theconversation element.
 17. The personal computer of claim 1, wherein auser records the conversation element.
 18. The personal computer ofclaim 1, wherein the conversation representation and the conversationelement are loaded from a host computer.
 19. The personal computer ofclaim 1, wherein the control signal is generated in response to a userselecting the conversation representation.
 20. The personal computer ofclaim 1, wherein an earpiece is coupled to the audio output forlistening by a user.
 21. The system of claim 1, wherein the conversationrepresentation and the conversation element is loaded from a hostcomputer.
 22. A personal computer, comprising: (a) an input forreceiving audio; (b) a device for providing a conversationrepresentation; (c) a memory for storing a conversation elementassociated with the conversation representation, wherein theconversation element has an internal representation of an audibleutterance; (d) a processor, coupled to the audio input, device andmemory, for generating a control signal responsive to a device signal;and, (e) an audio output, coupled to the processor and memory, forproviding the audible utterance responsive to the control signal and theconversation element.
 23. The personal computer of claim 22, wherein animpedance matching circuit is coupled to the audio output.
 24. Thepersonal computer of claim 23, wherein a telephone is coupled to theimpedance matching circuit.
 25. The personal computer of claim 22,wherein the conversation representation is selected from the groupconsisting of a button, a switch, a barcode, a label, a glyph, andBraille.
 26. The personal computer of claim 22, when the control signalis generated in response to a user selecting the conversationrepresentation.
 27. The personal computer of claim 22, where an earpieceis coupled to the audio output for listening by a user.
 28. The personalcomputer of claim 22, wherein the conversation element is selected fromthe group consisting of a phrase, a word, a letter, a number, a symbol,and a sound effect.
 29. The personal computer of claim 22, wherein theinternal representation is in a format selected from the groupconsisting of a sound file, a record or a playback, text and a MusicalInstrument Digital Interface (“MIDI”) sequence.
 30. The personalcomputer of claim 22, wherein the personal computer further comprises:(f) an audio generator, coupled to the processor and audio output, forgenerating the audible utterance.
 31. The system of claim 22 wherein thedevice for providing the conversation representation comprises: an itemcomprising a code associated with the conversation element; and ascanning device, coupled to the processor for reading the code andtransmitting the device signal to the processor in response to readingthe code.
 32. The system of claim 31, wherein the code is a barcode andthe item is a printed card.
 33. The system of claim 31, wherein thescanning device is a barcode scanner.
 34. The system of claim 31,wherein the scanning device is a laser scanner.
 35. The system of claim31, wherein the scanning device is a digital camera.
 36. A personalcomputer system, comprising: (a) an audio input for receiving audio; (b)a display for providing the conversation representation icon; (c) amemory for storing the conversation representation icon and anassociated conversation element, wherein the conversation element has aninternal representation of an audible utterance; (d) a processor,coupled to the audio input, display and memory, for generating a controlsignal; (e) an audio generator, coupled to the processor, for generatingthe audible utterance responsive to the control signal and theconversation element; (f) an audio output, coupled to the audiogenerator, for providing the audible utterance; (g) an impedancematching circuit coupled to the audio output; and, (h) a telephonecoupled to the impedance matching circuit.